Cigarette case retaining arm



A. F. REILLY 2,584,923

CIGARETTE CASE RETAINING ARM Feb. 5, 1952 Filed June 7, 1949 Htl nlm m' MII f HVVENTDR.

Patented Feb. 5, 1952 CIGARETTE CASE RETAINING ARM Alfred F. Reilly, North Attleboro, Mass., assignor to Evans Case Co., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. 97,525

(Cl. 20G-41) 1 Claim. l

This invention relates to a cigarette case of a size so that either regular size or king size cigarettes may be held therein, and particularly relates to the means for retaining the cigarettes of either size in position when the case is in use.

A cigarette case may be made of such a size that cigarettes of one dimension such, for instance, as regular length cigarettes may be posi-l tioned in the case, while cigarettes of a longer size such, for instance. as king size may be positioned in the case at right angles to this position, thus making the case adapted to take either length of cigarettes by merely choosing either one of two positions at right angles to each other,

which the cigarettes will assume when in the case.

One of the difculties in this sort of an arrangement of the cigarettes is that an arm for retaining the cigarettes in one position will not retain the cigarettes when in the other position, as, if it is in a position to be across the cigarettes when they are arranged in one direction, it would be parallel to the cigarettes when arranged 1n the other direction and, accordingly, would not hold the cigarettes.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a holding means for the cigarettes so that it may be utilized regardless of which size cigarettes are positioned in the case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a retaining means which may be of acollapsible character so that it may function when the cigarettes are positioned in one direction but which may be collapsed upon itself, enabling the cigarettes to be better used when the cigarettes are of a different size and placed at right angles toy the position in which the means are designed for holding them.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a retaining means in the form of a cross with one of the fingers which extends from the cross pivoted so that it may be arranged parallel with the other extensions of the cross to remove it from operating position when it is not needed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View of a combined cigarette case or holder and lighter in closed position;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the cover of the case open and showing cigarettes as positioned therein while illustrating in dot and dash ineS Cigarettes of a different size positioned in the case;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the retaining arm for holding the cigarettes in place, showing the same in its expanded position for retaining the cigarettes of the large size in position;

Figure 4 is a perspective View looking at the underside of the retaining arm and showing the pivoted finger of this arm in folded position cor'- responding to the showing in full lines in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmental view illustrating the hinging relation of the retaining arms in the two sections of the case;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3 illustrating the pivotal relation of the finger on the retaining arm;

Figure 7 is a fragmental perspective view of a modied structure illustrating an interlocking relation between the pivoted finger and one of the branches of the arm for assisting in holding the pivoted nger in collapsed position.

In proceeding with this invention I have hinged an arm on the hinge between two sections of the cigarette case so as to extend at substantially right angles to the hinge axis, which arm extends but a portion of the distance between this hinged edge of the cigarette section and the opposite edge thereof, and at the end of this arm I extend branches which are substantially parallel to the hinge axis and at right angles to the arm. A finger is pivoted at the juncture of these branches and the arm so as to extend the remaining distance between the arm and the edge opposite from that on which it is hinged, but which may be pivoted beneath one of the branches when it is not necessary that the same be used. In some cases the branched arm along which the finger extends and also the finger may be provided with a groove and rib so that an interlocking relation may be had.

With reference to the drawings, III designates one section of a cigarette case and II another section thereof, which sections are of generally dish formation and hinged together along their edges by means of eyes being rolled thereon as at I2. A pintle pin I3 extends through the eyes to hingedly connect the sections I0 and II together so that they may close one upon the other. The sections are held in closed position by a clasp designated generally I4 which is releasable by a nger piece I5 operable by inward pressure. The section I0 may have a lighter I6 mounted upon it for convenience of use in lighting a cigarette. The lighter may be of a known construction having an operating nger piece 3 II, a snuffer cap I8, and a fuel tank I9 llable as at 20.

The rectangular sections III and II are of a dimension at right angles to the hinge axis suincient to receive the regular size cigarette 2I therein in parallel relation, as shown in full lines in Figure 2 each extending at right angles to the axis. The section is of a length corresponding to the direction of extent of the hinge sufficient to receive a king size cigarette designated in dot and dash lines 22 in each section which would be arranged in parallel relation extending in the same direction as the hinge axis.

In order that the cigarettes may be retained in each of the shallow dish sections, I have provided for each section a retaining arm 23 which has a rolled eye 24 pivotally mounted upon the hinge pintle I3. The arm is notched adjacent the eye 24 as at 25 so that a coil spring 25 may he positioned about the pintle I3 with an end portion 26 pressing upon one arm 23, while an end portion 2l presses upon the other arm 23, these arms being of identical construction but oppositely arranged. This spring action in addition to forcing the arms toward the respective sections serves to move the case to open position such as shown in Figure 2 when the clasp is released by pressure upon the linger piece I5.

-The arm 23 extends but a portion of the distance between the hinge edge of the section and the clasped or free edge or the section and at its end has branches 28 and 29 extending at right angles thereto which will extend substantially the entire length of the section in the direction of its hinge axis so that any regular size cigarettes 2I which may be positioned in either of the sections will be held in place by the arm 23 and its branches moving toward the section, such branches covering all of the cigarettes when positioned at right angles to the hinge axis.

A finger 3! is pivoted as at 3I to the arm at the point of its juncture with the branches so as to extend at right angles to the hinge axis in extension of the arm 23 from the point of its termination to a point adjacent the opposite free or latched edge of the section. By this arrangement, when king size cigarettes 22 are placed in either of the sections parallel to the hinge axis, the arm 23 and finger 39 will extend the full width of the case covering all of the cigarettes so arranged and through the action of the spring will apply pressure upon the cigarettes retaining them in place when disposed, as shown in the dotted lines of Figure 2.

When the finger 30 is not in use, it may be swung about its pivot 3! into the position shown in vfull lines in Figures 2 or 4 and will be retained by friction in this folded position so that when cigarettes of the regular size l2I are used, it will be out of the way and will permit easy withdrawal of these cigarettes.

vunderlying relation.

For decorative purposes and also for the useful function which it performs, the linger 30 may be provided with a plurality of ribs 31 and the branches 28 may likewise be provided with a plurality of ribs 38, the relation being such that the ribs of one will extend into depressions on the opposite surface in the other to additionally assist in holding the nger in the folded or collapsed position such as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The ends of the branches 28 and 29 are bent downwardly to follow the curvature of the cigarettes as at 33 and 34, while the end of the finger 30 is bent downwardly as at 35 to likewise follow the curvature of the cigarettes which are of a king size.

By the above arrangement, I have provided a cigarette case which may accommodate cigarettes of two different sizes, either of which may be positioned in the case and readily retained therein in an eflcient manner.

I claim:

A cigarette case comprising a pair of generally rectangular body sections having hinge eyes along one edge, a hinge pintle through said eyes, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension in one direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length for receiving the same and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a different length for receiving the saine, and a cigarette retaining arm hinged on pintle at one edge of said dish section and extending at substantially right angles thereto a portion of the distance to the opposite parallel edge of the section, said arm having branches at its end extending at right angles thereto and a linger pivoted to the arm to extend the remaining distance to the opposite edge and swingable to be positioned at an angle to said arm and along either of said branches in underlying relation therewith, said branches and nger having longitudinally extending ribs throughout the length thereof for interlocking engagement of the ribs and recesses between the ribs when the inger and either of the branches are in aligned ALFRED F. REILLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inA the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,271,035 Rioux Jan. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 337,231 Germany May 27, 1921 

